Editor's Note

The Charge

Grab a helmet and prepare for action.

The Case

It's nice to see History Channel release one of these World War II shows.
Sure, WWII has been milked relentlessly during the network's existence, but it's
nice to shift away from Real Life Werewolves or whatever weirdo
documentary they decide to unleash on unsuspecting grandfathers the world
over.

Patton 360 builds on the formula of Battle 360, which built on the formula
of Dogfights, by illustrating the targeted
conflict with CGI animation. Here, it's all about General George S. Patton's
WWII campaigns, and there is certainly enough material to fill a season.

Disc Two • Leading the Charge • On
Hitler's Doorstep • Siege Warfare • Battle of
the Bulge • Crushing the Third Reich

If you're thinking "Wow, each episode sounds like it could be a title
of a direct-to-DVD action movie starring Wesley Snipes," then you and I are
operating on the same wavelength. In an effort to tear away a middle schooler's
glazed attention from his Droid, the folks at History have seriously amped up
the Bitchin! Meter on the series. The edits are quick-hitting and sexy,
zooms are tight and, to be honest, awkward (the interviewees, former soldiers,
seem out-of-place with the MTV-style camera-work), crazy effects like fire and
lightning pop up liberally and the music is designed primarily to put you in the
mood for some arm-wrestling.

Oddly, the CGI is significantly downplayed; the brief moments of visual
effects quickly eclipsed by file footage, interviews, reenactments, fireballs,
and stuff. Hmmm…Do the producers not have as much faith in the quality of
their animation as they used to, or are they just angling to have this series as
ADHD-friendly as possible? I'll go with the latter, despite the fact that, yes,
the CGI isn't that great. It's serviceable, but that's about it.

Regardless of the sound and fury of Patton 360, the history is
compelling. Patton's campaigns are fascinating and the different ways the
skirmishes play out are dramatic. The first-person testimonies from the badasses
who were there fighting, flesh out the tension of the events better than any
visual effect can.

The 1080p high-definition treatment does this series well. The 1.78:1
transfer is sharp and the visual pop lends itself well to some of the more
over-the-top special effects. File footage looks fine, but the interviews
benefit the most from the new coat of paint. The loser? You guessed it: the
computer animation. The boosted clarity betrays the animation's budget. Sound
comes though in DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, which certainly could have been
improved with a few extra channels tossed in. No extras.

The Verdict

Not Guilty, but that's because I can't not like any World War II documentary.
History Channel tried really hard to give me a migraine, though.

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